US law has some requirements on accounts created by minors which essentially means you must check the age for people creating new accounts, and you must not allow accounts for people < X years (but are not allowed to tell them up front).
I don't entirely understand where exactly this applies, i.e. why you can create accounts on some sites without giving your age. It might only apply in some telecommunication accounts cases, or maybe (possibly more likely), Google is one of the few companies subject to scrutiny here, so everyone else just flies under the radar.
> I don't entirely understand where exactly this applies, i.e. why you can create accounts on some sites without giving your age.
That law is called COPPA ("Children Online Privacy Protection Act"). It applies to sites dedicated to children (as per https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/com...). As Google uses one and the same account for all its services including YouTube, all Google accounts are potentially "dedicated to children" (YouTube IIRC has even a special section for videos suitable even for toddlers).
Interesting. There are many children who watch youtube that are younger than this. At the pediatric dentist they even had it playing on overhead TVs while they worked.
Are they really making a product that caters to very young children while claiming for legal purposes no children can use it?
No,children can use YouTube. However, the TOS prohibits them from making an account. A parent can set up an account, or they can use it without logging in.
US law has some requirements on accounts created by minors which essentially means you must check the age for people creating new accounts, and you must not allow accounts for people < X years (but are not allowed to tell them up front).
I don't entirely understand where exactly this applies, i.e. why you can create accounts on some sites without giving your age. It might only apply in some telecommunication accounts cases, or maybe (possibly more likely), Google is one of the few companies subject to scrutiny here, so everyone else just flies under the radar.